Concerning My Imagination
by midnightkiss56
Summary: This is a big compilation of all my different story ideas, and also an ongoing story mixed in. (Rated T because I'm paranoid.)
1. Chapter 1

**Hello there. Sorry you thought this was an actual chapter...because it's not. Welcome to this set of stories. For those of you that have no clue what's going on here, let me explain myself. This is a series of story ideas for this fandom that just popped into my head and I decided not to write a bunch of separated stories for. I've read lots of compilations like this before and I decided that it was just the easiest way to put a bunch of one-shots together. Anyway. What I would really like to tell you is that there will be an ongoing story in here mixed in with the one-shots. This way, if I just don't have time to update it, I can just write a one-shot to hold people over. It just makes my life easier. Anyway, PROMPTS. I love prompts. If you want it written, I'll do it. If you have an idea, please PM me or write it in a review. I will get to your prompt as soon as possible. **

**OK. Now that I've probably wasted your time for a while...**

**I'm only going to say this once so pay attention.**

**I do not own Detective Conan, or Magic Kaitou, or any crossovers that may pop up in this thing. **

**Happy reading! **


	2. My Hero

**This first one-shot takes us way back to files 215-218, mainly 218. I don't want to reveal the story before you read it so if you don't know what this case is about go and read it or watch the anime episodes 144-145. (It's the case that takes place on a train and Shinichi's parents are involved.)**

_My Hero_

Conan followed his mother through the train station at a distance, glancing around for any suspicious activity. She had instructed him to watch her back and shoot the criminal they were searching for with his tranquilizer watch if he went near her. Ran had distracted him though, and it had taken him a few minutes to locate her familiar dress and hat in the crowd. Once he had, he hurried to keep up with her long stride. He smiled as he followed her, knowing their plan was going perfectly, but she suddenly turned in a direction they hadn't planned. She was leaving the station. _Where is she going?_ Conan ran over to her and pulled on her skirt a little to stop her.

"Why are you leaving the station?" he asked her in an annoyed voice, thinking that perhaps her leaving was just another one of the jokes she had always played on him. The woman who looked down at him in confusion though, was not his mother.

"What?" she asked, clearly having no idea of the thoughts suddenly running rampant in Conan's mind as he ran off in search of his mother. _Damn! I lost her._ His gaze darted wildly around the train station as he ran. _Where...Which way did she go?_ Suddenly he spotted her, and his shoulders sagged in relief. There was just one problem. They were separated by train tracks.

Conan gasped with fear like the child he appeared to be as he watched the criminal they had been searching for slowly approach his mother from behind. "Kaa-san, behind you!" he tried to warn her as a train suddenly sped between them. Her confusion as to why he was not behind her caused her to miss his warning though, and she stayed near to the tracks as she waited for the train to pass.

Her son was trying to get to her as fast as he could, worrying that she hadn't heard him shout as he continued to run alongside the train. The words of the mystery novel his father had written flashed in his mind as he went.

_The guilty man slowly walked toward the back of the young detective. _

Conan knew the story had a young boy in glasses getting killed by the culprit, but he hadn't imagined that his mother's plan to play along with the story would go so wrong.

_He pushed the back of the young boy with his bloody hands..._

Conan heard several screams.

_Suddenly, the platform was full of blood..._

He stopped cold, and the world seemed to have frozen. The only thing not frozen was the last train that separated him from his mother, which slowly finished passing him, becoming the curtain that revealed a sight that would forever be burned into his mind.

Kudou Yukiko, his mother, lay broken in her own blood on the train tracks. Her bright blue eyes, his eyes, stared back at him in the still and silent world around him. They were accusatory and full of hate, letting him know that she blamed him for her death. He dropped to his knees in anguish._ It's all my fault..._

"Conan-kun!" a sudden familiar voice called out, sending the tiny detective bolting upright in his bed with an outcry. He had moved too quickly though and promptly fell back again, caught up in a warm embrace. He could feel his body shaking, but he knew he wasn't cold. In fact, he quickly became aware that his hair and clothes were damp with sweat. He kept his eyes closed as he tried to catch his breath, and a soft, cool hand rested on his forehead as the arms around him tightened. "Conan-kun?" Ran whispered softly as his breathing began to slow down. "Are you all right?" Conan opened his eyes slowly, a sense of calm washing over him. _It was just a dream...Tou-san arrived before Kaa-san was pushed...She's not dead..._

"I'm fine Ran-neechan," he whispered. The two of them were sharing a room, but he was somewhat surprised he had woken her. After all, she had always been a very deep sleeper, and it took a lot of effort to wake her in the middle of the night. Ran slowly let her hand slide off his forehead. Then she tenderly brushed his damp bangs from his face.

"You don't have a fever," she whispered, absentmindedly continuing to stroke his hair. "Was it a nightmare?" Conan was glad it was dark because his face was flushing red at her touch. Embarrassed, he began to squirm in her arms.

"I said I'm fine," he insisted, getting away from her and standing up. His body shivered though. The room felt so much colder without Ran's embrace. He could almost feel her smile of understanding coming from behind him. She knew he was embarrassed. She got up and went over to the other side of his bed, and knelt beside him.

"You can trust me, you know," she murmured. "I won't tell anyone if you don't want anyone to know." Conan met her gaze, opening his mouth as if to speak. He looked back down though. What she didn't know was that he almost told her everything. He had suddenly felt the need to tell her the truth, but he realized that he couldn't do it.

"I don't want to talk about it," he replied quietly. Ran hesitated for a moment, then spoke again.

"What about your okaa-san?" she asked. "Do you want to talk to her about it?" Conan stiffened, clenching his fists as he tried to erase the horrifying image that suddenly appeared in his mind, and reminding himself that if his father hadn't shown up it would be his fault his mother was dead. _But how did Ran know?_

"How...how did you-"

"It was just a lucky guess," she shrugged. "But the way you looked and talked to that lady on the train today made me think you might be missing your okaa-san." Ran got up and went over to her bag, leaving Conan stunned. _She's more perceptive than I thought she was._ Ran came back over with her phone held out to him. "Here," she said. "I'll go sit in the hallway for a few minutes. It should still be daytime for her." Then Ran gave him a smile and left the room.

He looked down at the phone in his hands, knowing Ran was right. He needed to call her; to hear her voice. He quickly dialed the number he had memorized for the apartment his parents had in Los Angeles, hoping at least one of them would be home to answer.

"Hello," Yukiko answered, sounding like she had had to run to grab the phone in time. Conan couldn't answer her though. He didn't know what to say to her, especially since he would never admit to her that he had had a nightmare. "I don't know who this is but I know you're there," she said. "I can hear you breathing."

"K-kaa-san," he finally stammered. "It's me..." Yukiko was quiet for a moment in surprise. He had never called her or his father while they were out of the country. They always had to call him first. She sensed something off in his voice, and glanced at her watch.

"Shin-chan, what's wrong?" she asked. "You should be asleep right now."

"Nothing's wrong...I just..."

"You just...?" He couldn't say it. He didn't know how to tell her.

"I'm sorry. I don't know why I called," he said hurriedly, running his hand through his hair. "I'll go back to sleep. I promise." He moved the phone away from his ear to hang up.

"Shinichi." He froze. She never called him by his first name unless she was angry with him, or as in this case, trying to get him to talk to her. "Tell me what's wrong."

"It's not important. I'm fine, really."

"Is this about what happened earlier today?"

"..."

"Shinichi...even if your otou-san hadn't been there...no one would have blamed you."

"I would have blamed me," he admitted quietly. He heard Yukiko sigh.

"I know," she replied. "You can't always blame yourself for circumstances that are out of your control though...it isn't your job to protect everyone. That would be too much for just one person."

"..."

"Shinichi?"

"..."

"Shi-"

"I'm still here, Kaa-san."

"You know...you can come and visit us out here once in a while...even if you don't want to stay."

"I know." Neither of them spoke for a moment. They just sat there in silence, thousands of miles apart and yet close enough to hear each other's breathing.

"Thank you, Shin-chan," she finally murmured,

"For what?"

"For being my hero."

Conan didn't understand what she meant. He couldn't fathom how she could say such a thing when he had failed to protect her. "You've made us so proud," she continued. "You've touched so many lives that you probably don't even realize you've touched..."

"Kaa-san?"

"Yes?" He bit his lip. He wasn't, and never had been very vocal about his emotions. He kept them silent, but he showed them through his actions without noticing it.

"I-I don't hate you, or anything," he stammered, feeling like an idiot for not being able to say three simple words to his own mother. "I'm not trying to stay away from you by staying in Japan." His words were met with her laughter. She understood what he meant.

"I love you too, Shin-chan. Now get some sleep." She hung up then. She knew she didn't have to say anymore to him. He would be OK. He always was.

Conan closed Ran's phone quietly, and went over to the door to let her back in. He would never say it out loud, but he somehow felt ten times better after speaking to his mother. She may have been a little eccentric, but he knew he could depend on her if he needed her. That was all that mattered.

**So what did you think? A little awkward, huh? Well sometimes one-shots need to be that way. I kind of like it. Yukiko's got to do something right sometimes. I'm not sure when the second one will be up, but rest assured it will not be too far into the future. Thanks for reading. **


	3. Someone Different: Part 1

**OK. This one is for shiren al. You asked for a ShinRan alternative love story and that is what you shall get. I hope you're pleased with what I've come up with. **

_Someone Different: Part 1_

Mouri Ran was extremely popular in school. She was the captain of the karate team, one of the top students in her class, and the only girl in her class that pretty much all of the guys wished they could go out with. She had obliged a few times, but she had discovered that most of them bored her. They all wanted to show off to her, they all wanted to shower her with compliments, and they all tried too hard and failed to impress her father, who despite being an old drunk detective, insisted on meeting every boy she went out with. None of them ever received his approval, and after her dates were over, she would have to reassure her father that no, she did not have fun, and no, she would not be going out with "that moron" again.

She had just been on one of these dates and was telling her best friend Suzuki Sonoko about it as they walked to school together. Sonoko laughed at her as they entered the gates of Teitan High School.

"You better be careful, Ran," she giggled. "Those guys are getting more forward. You may have to start using your karate on them."

"Sonoko," Ran whined. "You know I wouldn't just beat up a guy for no reason."

"Yeah, but if you really want them to leave you alone, you should rough one of them up a bit so he can tell all his friends that they should go out with a more delicate flower like Suzuki Sonoko." Then it was Ran's turn to laugh as they entered their classroom. _I find these guys annoying and they're all Sonoko can think about._ She shook her head in disapproval of her friend's obsessions. Sonoko wanted what Ran had. She wanted to be everyone's fantasy girl. Ran would rather the opposite. She was waiting for someone. Someone different from the other boys. She didn't know who he was, what he would be like, or if she would even meet him before graduating high school. She knew he existed though, and she wouldn't let herself get attached to any of the boys she went out with until she was certain she had found the one she'd been waiting for.

"Everyone sit down in your places please," the teacher called out. Students scrambled to their desks as the teacher waited for everyone to be seated and pay attention. She smiled at her class and glanced at her watch. "Thank you for being so attentive," she said. "Now I know it's a little early to begin class, but I wanted to tell you that you will have a new student joining your class today." The room immediately erupted into murmurs, and the teacher sighed. Then, there was a quiet knock on the door, and the class was quiet once again.

She smiled as she opened the door, and ushered in a boy before quickly closing the door again. Sonoko grinned at Ran from the seat beside her as their teacher spoke quietly to the new student. Ran responded to her friend with an eye-roll. _There she goes again. The minute we get another boy in class she loses her mind. She'll be chasing after him all day..._

"Class, I would like you to meet Kudou Shinichi," the teacher suddenly stated. Ran looked up and immediately stared. Shinichi was tall and thin, and he had messy brown hair with an odd little cowlick in the back. Ran was staring at his eyes though, wondering why they seemed so familiar to her. They were an icy blue, sharp, and intelligent. He nodded his head quickly without saying a word, but Ran could see his cold, perceptive gaze darting over every single person in the room. She was just wondering what he was looking for as his eyes roamed over to her and stopped. They were looking at each other and into each other at the same time, and the ice in his look seemed to melt completely. He blinked quickly at her and broke their odd eye contact as Sonoko stood up and loudly offered the open seat she had beside her to him.

He kept his head down low as he went to his seat, and immediately took out his notebook for class before Sonoko could say a word to him. Pouting, the slightly irritated teen turned to her friend and shrugged. "Shy," she mouthed to Ran, who could only shrug back in response. As class went on, Ran found her eyes wandering over to the quiet boy. She was surprised to find him looking bored beyond belief, chewing on the end of his pencil and silently tapping his fingers on his desk. Her gaze moved down to his notebook, and she had to hold back a gasp of shock. All of his work was complete. Suddenly, as if sensing her staring, Shinichi stared right back at her. Her eyes were still on his notebook though, and she didn't notice his piercing gaze until she finally moved to look back at her own nearly finished schoolwork.

Their eyes locked for the second time, but Shinichi's look was not as scrutinizing as it had been before. There was a spark of intrigue in his eyes, and he almost seemed to be pondering over her existence. It was like being under a magic spell, and Ran didn't want it to end. The bell rang though, and the spell was broken. Shinichi immediately gathered his things and headed out the door, effectively avoiding Sonoko's inevitable attempt at small talk.

"He must be afraid of me," she said dreamily with a flip of her hair. "I'll have to convince him that even though I'm rich and aloof he can still go out with me." Ran gave her friend only a half-smile, still mentally lost in the hypnotic sky blue that made up the eyes of Kudou Shinichi. She had never met him, but she felt as if she knew him somehow. _Kudou...Where have I heard that name before?_ "Stop daydreaming, Ran. We have to sit with him at lunch. It's not every day a quiet, attractive guy shows up at school you know."

The two girls searched for Shinichi in the crowded cafeteria, but they didn't find him until they had finished eating and went out into the schoolyard. They spotted him under a tree, leaning comfortably into the trunk as if he belonged nowhere else. He was reading a book that was obviously well-loved, for the spine was so creased that Ran noticed it from quite a distance away as they approached him. Sonoko stood in front of him with her hands on her hips.

"So," she started confidently. "What do people call you?" Shinichi either ignored her, or didn't hear her; the latter of which being nearly impossible due to Sonoko's loud and bold voice. She tapped her foot impatiently and exchanged a look with Ran. Just as she about to speak again he held up his pointer finger, indicating for her to wait. A few seconds later he closed his book and looked up at her.

"Can I help you with something?" he asked. Sonoko, a little taken aback by his odd behavior, sat down on the ground. Ran followed suit, and she could feel Shinichi's eyes on them both.

"I asked you what people call you?"

"Kudou-kun," he responded. "Most people call me Kudou-kun." Sonoko nodded and smiled.

"Well then. I will call you Shin-chan, and you can call me Sono-chan in return. It'll feel more casual talking to you." Shinichi stiffened and got a strange look on his face, and Ran couldn't help but laugh a little at how typical it was for Sonoko to dish out nicknames for people. "What's so funny?" Sonoko shook her head. "Pardon my rude friend here, Shin-chan. She-"

"With all due respect Suzuki-san, I'd prefer to be called Kudou-kun." Sonoko was stunned. She hadn't told him her last name; not to mention no one had ever questioned the nicknames she had made up for them before.

"H-how did you-"

"Your family is very well-known, Suzuki-san. You shouldn't be so surprised. I'm sure with the wealthy life you've lived you're quite used to getting your way. People are usually too afraid of repercussions to deny you anything, even something as simple as what you're allowed to call them. I would rather not be subjected to the humiliation that would come with a nickname like that though, so I will be the first to tell you 'no' so you can get used to hearing it when it is sometimes necessary." Shinichi said nothing more. He just opened his book again, and acted as if the two of them were not there. Sonoko was shocked. No one had ever spoken to her that way in her life. She got up and ran off, tears streaming down her face at the implications Shinichi had brought up. After all, he had basically told her people only listened to her because they were afraid of what would happen if they didn't. Ran observed Shihichi for a moment. Then she leaned forward and knocked the book from his hand.

"Apologize to her," Ran ordered him. "Just because you're new here doesn't give you the excuse to be rude. Sonoko was just trying to be friendly." Shinichi scoffed as he dusted off his book.

"Friendly or not she has no right to just decide for me what she has permission to call me." He buried his nose in his book again, and Ran realized that he wasn't just annoyed. He was actually angry. _It's just a nickname. He shouldn't be so bitter about it_. She knew he had a point though. Sonoko shouldn't have just decided what she had permission to call him.

"That still doesn't give you the right to insult her the way you did." Shinichi sighed and lowered his book once more. Their eyes met again, hers stern and his searching. Ran felt like he was reading her mind, but his eyes seemed too sad to be doing so. He stood up suddenly though, and the sad look disappeared as quickly as it had appeared.

"I wasn't trying to insult her," he said. "I'll apologize to her next time I see her." Ran moved to stand up, but as she did she stumbled. He caught her by her arms before she fell though and helped her stand up. Then he left her standing there alone. Ran touched the places on her forearms he had touched, feeling a slight chill run through her. _His hands were so cold...he didn't even ask for my name._

True to his word, Ran heard from Sonoko that Shinichi had apologized to her before the day had even ended. "Of course I understood he didn't mean to offend me. It's not the first time someone has reacted a little strangely to meeting me." Ran only nodded to her friend, wondering why Shinichi had made the effort to fix his mistake so quickly when he had seemed so upset over the nickname. "There he is," Sonoko hissed suddenly, linking her arm with Ran's and dragging her in her wake as she followed Shinichi out the school gates. "Shinichi-kun!" she called, only permitted to do so because of Shinichi's guilt for insulting her. He stopped walking, and turned to face them with a slightly exasperated look on his face. _He's probably tired of Sonoko shouting so loud._ "Would you let us walk with you?" Shinichi blinked at her in confusion.

"Um...OK?" he agreed, his gaze darting back and forth between the two girls. Sonoko winked slyly at Ran as he started walking, and the two of them followed him back to his house. As they walked they began to notice the houses getting larger, and more of them had walls around them.

"Why are we doing this?" Ran whispered to Sonoko, feeling nervous for reasons she couldn't explain.

"Well I couldn't just ask Shinichi-kun about his family. I want to meet them. I did some research on him in the library once I had calmed down at lunch, and I want to see if my results match up with his family." Ran was about to tell her how creepy that seemed, but then they stopped in front of a wall. She looked up over it and could see a tall mansion sticking out above.

"You can come in for a while if you want," Shinichi said, noticing their stunned faces. "There's a lot of boxes everywhere though so watch your step." He unlocked the front gate and then went into the house. Sonoko grabbed Ran by the arm before she could follow.

"I think my research is correct," she murmured excitedly. "His parents must be-"

"Are you guys still out there?"

"We're right behind you." Ran, not getting to hear the rest of Sonoko's explanation, trailed slowly behind her, feeling like they were intruding. When she closed the front door behind her, she felt as if she had just trapped herself in an extremely awkward situation. She knew Shinichi probably didn't want them there, and from the boxes stacked all over the bottom floor she could see he would be very busy for a while.

He entered the room with a particularly large box in his hands, and set it down to put another one on top of it. Ran glanced around warily and cleared her throat.

"Uh...where did Sonoko go?" she asked awkwardly. Shinichi looked up at her as if he had forgotten anyone was in his house besides himself.

"She uh...said she had to go to the bathroom so I told her where it was," he answered as he lifted up the two heavy boxes with a small grunt.

"Let me help you with that."

"No, I've got it. It's fine."

"Oh." The two of them stood there in awkward silence. Then Shinichi turned away and started to climb the stairs.

"You could help by opening the door for me," he offered before his voice got too far away to hear him. Ran immediately went up after him, glad to not feel so useless. When they reached the second floor, Shinichi nodded at one of the last doors they came to, and Ran opened it. "Thanks." Ran tried to remain in the hallway, but when she caught a glimpse of the room behind the door, she found herself walking in. Inside the room was a breathtaking library, which had books all around nearly up to the ceiling. There were two comfortable looking chairs near the middle of the room, and a large wooden desk pushed back toward the wall.

"How many books are in this place?" she breathed, her cheeks burning with embarrassment because she had spoken out loud.

"Not sure," Shinichi replied as he took three books from one of the boxes and scanned the already nearly full shelves. "They're all mystery novels though...no romance novels or whatever it is girls are into nowadays."

"I like mysteries..." Ran retorted. "...sometimes. My father is a detective." _Nice one Ran. This guy doesn't even know your name and you're already talking about your father to him. _

"Oh...does he get a lot of cases?" Ran thought about her father, who was most likely sitting at his desk with a beer can in one hand and a cigarette in the other.

"Not too many recently." Shinichi was quiet for a moment, and then cleared his throat awkwardly.

"I'm...I'm a detective too." He reached back into the box and grabbed four more books, climbing up on the nearby ladder to place them on a shelf.

"But you're not even out of high school yet."

"Well, my father knows plenty of policemen so I've been able to solve many cases back in America." Ran nodded as Shinichi continued to shelve books and she wandered over to the desk.

"Were you born in America?" she asked as she started to pick up a picture frame that was face-down on the desk.

"No, we used to live here when I was little," he replied, watching with trepidation as she looked at the photo of him and his parents in Hawaii. He watched Ran smile at the photo, wondering why he couldn't seem to take his eyes off her, and he blushed furiously as she turned and caught him staring at her. She seemed to brush his staring aside in her mind though, and she held up the photo.

"Your okaa-san looks familiar to me."

"Oh, well that's probably because-"

"There you guys are!" Sonoko shouted as she entered the room. "I've been walking around looking for you, but I didn't think you would come upstairs. What's this?" Sonoko had noticed the picture Ran was holding and leaned over her shoulder to look at it. Her eyes immediately lit up, and she took the picture from Ran. "Are these your parents?" she asked. Shinichi answered with a simple nod that lacked the interest and enthusiasm displayed by the girl, and he continued to shelve books from the box he had placed on the desk. Ran was just wondering about their two quite opposite reactions to the photo when they heard footsteps in the hallway.

"Shin-chan!" a sing-song voice called out. "Shin-chan, are you up here?" Then the door opened, and the woman from the photo entered the room. "There you are. I knew you'd be up here. I know my flight leaves in an hour but I wanted to ask about your first day before I left. Tell me-" Shinichi's mother stopped speaking, noticing the two girls standing in shock nearby. "Perhaps you'd like to introduce me to your friends," she drawled, clearly pleased to see her son finally making an effort to at least speak to girls. He had never had many friends outside of his soccer team, and had always been a bit introverted. She smiled expectantly at her son, and he came down to the floor.

"Kaa-san, this is Suzuki Sonoko and this is-"

"Oh, I met your uncle last year at a party. He was-" Shinichi gestured towards Ran to keep his mother from rambling. Ran was just about to speak up and introduce herself, but he beat her to it.

"And this is Mouri Ran," he finished. Ran glanced at him in complete shock. _How did he know my name? I never told him._ Suddenly, Shinichi's mother's eyes lit up in a similar way to Sonoko's.

"That's right! I remember you," she exclaimed, receiving looks of confusion from both girls. "You probably don't remember this, but the last time I saw you you were no taller than my knee and crying over the rosebush in my backyard that Shinichi hit with a soccer ball."

"Wait a minute," Sonoko interjected, looking back and forth between Ran and Shinichi. "You two know each other?" Ran shook her head. _I don't remember that at all..._

"I'm sorry," she said. "I guess I was just too young to remember that." The woman laughed gently at her.

"You probably don't remember either, Shin-chan." Shinichi shrugged.

"I don't remember hitting the rosebush..." he murmured, nervously rubbing the back of his head. _What's he so nervous about? _

"Well that's OK." Shinichi's mother turned back to Ran. "Just tell Eri-chan and Kogorou-san that Kudou Yukiko sends her love."

"So you really are _the_ Kudou Yukiko?" Sonoko interrupted with excitement. Yukiko, extremely happy to meet a fan of hers, immediately struck up a conversation with the girl. Shinichi just sighed lightly as he moved back to his box of books. _So I guess that's why Sonoko wanted to come here._ Ran followed Shinichi, still wondering how he knew her name. _We must have both been too young to really remember much..._

"Kudou-kun?" she mumbled. He looked at her expectantly, and she blinked away the daze that she felt coming over her as she made eye contact with him. "Did you...how did you-"

"Oh Shin-chan!" Yukiko suddenly exclaimed, rushing over to her son. "I have to get going. Your Tou-san is probably waiting at the airport by now." She wrapped her arms quickly around him, but he made no move to even half-way return the embrace. Once she released him, she kissed his cheek and hurried out the room. "Goodbye, Shin-chan," she called. "It was nice to meet you two." She was gone in a flash, and Ran took this as their opportunity to leave as well.

"We should be going too, Sonoko," she said, nudging her friend's elbow. Sonoko shot her a slightly disappointed look, but shrugged in agreement anyway.

"I'll walk you home," Shinichi said. "Kaa-san would kick me if she knew I didn't." He walked out ahead of them, and Sonoko immediately grabbed Ran by her forearms.

"What did you think?" she whispered with a mischievous grin. "His okaa-san's a famous actress and his otou-san's that famous mystery novelist Kudou Yusaku. I knew I was right."

"I thought his mother was nice enough," Ran murmured back. "Why does it matter though?" Sonoko frowned at her.

"That's not what I meant. I meant should I go out with him? He's definitely on my level." Ran rolled her eyes and headed out the door. _Is that all you think about?_ "Raaaan," her friend whined. "Wait up!"

The three teens walked to the Mouri Detective Agency because Sonoko had insisted that she would be picked up from there. They said goodbye at the door, and Sonoko immediately dashed upstairs. Ran lingered though, and caught Shinichi by the arm before he could walk away. _I still never asked him about my name but...now there's something else I want to know._

"Is your okaa-san the reason you didn't want Sonoko to call you that nickname?" she asked. Shinichi stiffened, and she remembered him doing so in a similar way at lunch.

"It just gets on my nerves..." he replied quietly, not facing her. He met her eyes over his shoulder, and seemed hesitant to speak again. "...I really just don't want another person to call me what she does." Ran nodded and blushed in embarrassment.

"OK...Sorry," she mumbled, looking down at her feet. "I guess I'll see you at school tomorrow." Before he could say anything, she rushed into her apartment. He stood there on the street for a moment. Then he shook his head and began to walk back home. _Way to go Shinichi. Now she'll think you're some depressed, lonely, detective-freak...Her otou-san's a detective though...so maybe not that last bit._

Shinichi glanced back at the agency window once more as he walked. He hadn't mentioned that even though he didn't remember the incident with the rosebush, he had remembered Ran's face as she dissolved into tears. He had realized who she was when she had been scolding him with such an upset look on her face, and he swore to himself that he never wanted to be the reason she cried ever again. There was something about her that he felt was different from other girls, and he was determined to find out what it was.

**Well. What do you think? Obviously this is the first installment and there will be more. But I really hope this is kind of what you were looking for in your prompt. I actually really enjoyed writing this, so thanks again for the prompt. I'll continue this in a later update. (Not too much later though. Don't worry.) **

**Apparently I really enjoy writing about Yukiko somewhere in the back of my head and don't realize it...oh well. **


	4. The New Guys

**Another prompt! Woo! This funny little idea was suggested to me by MsDreamer93. It involves first days of work for everyone's favorite Black Organization members, and an interesting first meeting. **

_The "New Guys"_

Gin smirked to himself as he and Vodka sat in the back of the car that was taking them to meet the boss of the Black Organization. Their training had finally been completed, and as some of the newest top assassins in the Organization, they were given the special privilege of meeting their mysterious leader. Gin, needless to say, was extremely proud of himself. Not every member got to even receive a message typed out by the boss, much less meet him face to face. The car suddenly lurched forward and stopped, and Vodka cursed out the driver, who was a trainee; given driving duty for a month for lack of diligence in the field. Gin simply got out the car and lit a cigarette, careful not to catch his long silver hair on fire. Once Vodka had slapped the driver in the back of the head for his stupidity, he too exited the vehicle.

"They should've let us drive the Porsche here," he grumbled, walking towards the front doors of the tall building before them with his hands shoved into his pockets. Gin followed slowly, intimidating just about every single person they passed with his cold glare. They got through the extremely tight security and were waiting for the elevator to come down to them. Gin started to lean against the wall in impatience, but quickly discovered there was a vase on a small table behind him. It wobbled precariously, and both he and Vodka tried to stop it from falling. The vase hit the floor with a smash though and broke into more pieces than either man could count at that moment. "Oh-"

"Shit!" Gin finished for Vodka. The two of them glanced around warily, and not seeing anyone, quickly swept the pieces into a nearby stairwell with their shoes. _No one will have to know about that little mishap._ The two assassins boarded the elevator nonchalantly, witnessing another member slip and fall as he entered the stairwell and the elevator doors closed. There was complete silence in the elevator as each of the two men attempted to keep their cool. "No one knows it was us," Gin insisted as the doors opened. "We didn't leave any fingerprints on the pieces."

"You bastard," Vodka hissed back. "You're the one who backed into the vase, not me." Gin shushed his partner in crime and they headed down a long hallway, through three more security checks, and finally stood before a large wooden door. "After you," Vodka murmured nervously, making it clear that he did not share Gin's enthusiasm for meeting their boss. The taller man took a deep breath and opened the door, and was immediately ordered by a deep voice to close the door and sit down.

"There are two chairs already prepared for you," the voice continued. The two men did as they were told, and watched the cigarette smoke float up from the plush office chair whose back was facing them. "...I must say I'm a little disappointed in you." Neither man dared speak. The word "disappointment" had frozen them in their chairs. _Why would the boss call us all the way here to tell us that?_ They had heard stories of people going to see the boss and never coming back, but Gin had never believed them as Vodka did. He worked up his courage and cleared his throat.

"I'm not sure I know what you're talking about sir," he said cautiously, receiving hand signals of warning from his counterpart that screamed, "You're making this worse than it already is!" Suddenly, the voice began to chuckle, and that chuckle quickly grew into a maniacal laugh. The boss turned his chair around so fast that Vodka fell out of his. Facing the two of them, with an enormous grin on her face, was a beautiful woman with blond curls. She laughed once more at Vodka as he got back into his seat, and at Gin's stunned face.

"Sorry boys," she drawled in her feminine voice, taking a drag from her cigarette. "The boss couldn't be here today so he asked me to meet you in his place."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Gin roared, standing and glaring at her. "Who the hell are you?" The woman simply met his gaze with her seductive smile, blowing smoke in his face to show how ineffective his glare was to her.

"Don't you want to know why I was disappointed?" she asked mischievously.

"Who are you?" Vodka repeated, in awe of the woman who could withstand Gin's ice cold glare. She closed her eyes for a moment, and then met Gin's gaze again as if forgetting Vodka even existed.

"They call me Vermouth," she murmured. "Master of disguises and keeper of absolutely everyone's dirty little secrets. After all...a secret makes a woman, woman." Gin growled at her silky tone of voice, but then regained control over himself and met her smile with his own. _Fine. Two can play at this game. _

"All right then,Vermouth," he said. "Tell me how we disappointed you." Vermouth stood and went to the door. She held onto the handle as she spoke.

"I was disappointed that the first secret I learned about you two was so boring."

"And just what 'secret' are you referring to?" She laughed again and held up a piece of the broken vase.

"The secret that the Organization's newest top assassins are actually some of the clumsiest." With that she left the room, and the two were left once again stunned by her actions.

"Hey Aniki," Vodka called. "Look at this..." Gin took the piece of paper his partner was holding out to him and read it.

It said, " The boss was actually not meeting you until tomorrow. I just wanted to have some fun. Come back then. -V" Gin crumpled up the piece of paper into a ball.

"Damn that woman! I'll beat the shit out of her next time I see her." He stormed out of the room, and Vodka had to jog for a moment to catch up. Vodka of course didn't have the heart to tell Gin that the back of the paper had said that Vermouth was looking forward to working with them.

**So what did you think of it? This was something a little odd and new to me, as I have never really even thought about writing a piece like this. I had fun though. I hope my work was satisfactory. Thanks for reading.**


	5. Turning the Tables

**This one sort of just popped in my head. It's pretty short and silly, but I liked the idea. Hope you enjoy it.**

_Turning the Tables_

Kaitou sat in his desk, impatiently waiting for the bell to ring that would signal his freedom. His knee unconsciously bounced up and down, and he had a grim expression on his face that made those sitting near him shift a little farther away from him in their desks. Despite it being Halloween, a day he usually considered everyone fair game for some of his best tricks, he had not pranked anyone yet. This kept a nervous tension in the air throughout the day, and even his teachers seemed disturbed as they kept cautiously glancing at the quiet teen. Aoko was just about to tap his arm to ask him what was the matter when the bell rang, and he jumped up on his desk and threw a smoke bomb filled with confetti and glitter before anyone could escape the classroom. As the air cleared, Kaitou grinned at his sparkling classmates.

"Finally! That was the longest day ever!" he announced. Then he calmly stepped down off his desk and left the room. Little did he know, everyone had sighed in relief as he went, knowing that he was capable of much worse than covering them in multi-colored glitter. Aoko smiled though. He would probably go straight home to get ready for the Halloween party she was having. She was determined to scare him more than he had ever scared her before, and she knew just how to do it.

She had been right. Kaitou had indeed gone directly back home to get ready. He knew he probably wouldn't be the only Kaitou Kid at Aoko's party, but it would be all the more fun to annoy her. Just as he had placed his hat on his head, his phone began to ring.

"Hello?"

"Uh...Kaitou..." Aoko mumbled. "Could you come over early and help me finish decorating?"

"I'll be right over," he agreed, hanging up and going downstairs. Aoko lived right around the corner from him, so it was normal for her to show up at his house or for him to show up at hers. He knocked on the front door, and she called out that it was open. He opened the door slowly, realizing as he closed it behind him that all the lights were off and all the windows were covered. A shiver went down his spine. _What's going on here?_ "Aoko?" he called, cautiously moving forward into the house.

"I'm in the kitchen, Kaitou," she replied. Kaitou used his memory of the house to find the room, feeling the whole time as if he should turn and run.

"Why are all the lights off?"

"Are they off? Hm...that's funny. Maybe you should turn them on." _She's up to something... _Against his better judgement, he flicked the light-switch on. It took a moment for his eyes to adjust, but when they did he reeled backwards in terror. Sitting nonchalantly on the table was Aoko, dressed as a mermaid and flirtatiously waving her tail. That wasn't all though. There were fish literally everywhere. Plastic fish hung suspended from the ceiling. Paper ones were stuck to the walls, and worst of all, Aoko was holding one. She jumped up when she saw him, and her tail fell to floor. She stood there in her shorts staring at him for a second, but then she quickly grabbed a mop seemingly out of nowhere. "Kaitou Kid?" she shouted. "What are you doing here? Where's Kaitou?" Kaitou backed up even further.

"Wait a min-" Aoko swung the mop at his head though, and suddenly a chase had begun. She chased him all over the house until he stopped in the doorway of her room. It was the only room in the house she never let him go in. He turned to tell her who he was, but she ran right into him before he could speak. The two ended up on the floor of the room, Aoko halfway on top of Kaitou. She picked up the mop nearby, and was just about to hit him when she noticed his hat had come off, and she recognized Kaitou's messy brown hair.

"Kaitou?" Aoko asked. She was answered by a groan.

"Yes it's me, you idiot," he said. She scrambled off of him and turned on the lights, revealing that he was who he claimed to be. When he was standing up again, she pinched his face just to be sure it was him. "Ow! Aoko it's really me. This is my costume for your party, you devil woman!"

"Devil woman? You're the one who showed up in my house dressed as Kid!"

"Well you're the one who covered your kitchen in...in those..." Kaitou shuddered. "...finny things..."

"Yeah, well _somebody_ had to get you back for all the pranks you've pulled every year." They both went quiet after that. Then, without warning, Kaitou started laughing. It took a moment for Aoko to realize what was so funny, but once she did she started laughing too.

"Look at us," Kaitou told her as he picked up his hat and put it back on his head. "Both of our plans backfired perfectly." She stopped laughing, but there was still a large grin on her face.

"You should've seen your face," she murmured. "My dad would have had a field day if he thought he was witnessing _the_ Kaitou Kid afraid of fish.

"Don't say that word," he complained with a cringe. Aoko sniggered as she walked out the door.

"OK. Come help me clean up," she called back from the hallway.

"Oooooooh no!" He followed her out into the hallway. "There is no way I am helping you pick up those..._things_." Aoko laughed again from the kitchen, and he sighed. _Looks like you got me this time, Aoko..._

**So yeah. Just a little something that popped into my head. Thanks for reading. I know it's not Halloween...but whatever.**


	6. Someone Dofferent: Part 2

**Here is the continuation of the prompt story from shiren al. Thanks for the feedback on the first part. I just wish the person I wrote this for would give me some feedback so I know I'm doing this right... It's all good shiren al. I understand that life is very busy. **

_Someone Different: Part II _

Shinichi didn't sleep the entire night. He couldn't stop thinking about what he would say to Ran the next day. He was worried about how to act in front of her, and feelings he did not understand were making his heart beat faster every time he thought of her. When he got up in the morning, he turned off the alarm that wouldn't have gone off for another half-hour. He wandered around in the library to kill time, and he found himself picking up the photo he never looked at, just because she had looked at it. He ran his hand down the side of the frame because she had held it. Then he shook his head and quickly laid the photo face down again. _What is wrong with me...I need some coffee._

Shinichi quickly got dressed for school, drank his coffee, and walked out the door. He was still early, and he debated visiting the professor next door. The old man would be asleep though, so he began to walk aimlessly down the sidewalk. A few minutes later, he found himself standing in front of her apartment, not really knowing how he had remembered the way there. He wondered if she would be annoyed at him for being there, or if she would find him weird for waiting in front of the detective agency for her. He leaned on the wall outside the stairs, hoping she wouldn't be creeped out by him.

"Shinichi-kun?" a familiar voice suddenly called. _Well, crap._ It was Sonoko, and she was looking at him strangely. She stepped closer to him, still giving him an odd look. "What are you doing here so early?"

"Well...I uh...I just thought maybe..." Sonoko held up her hand and stared straight at him.

"Do you..." she started, hesitant to ask her question. "Do you like Ran-chan?" Shinichi could feel his cheeks burning up.

"N-no...I don't like her," he tried. "Uh...I mean...I _like_ her, just not...you know..." Sonoko was apparently not listening to him though. She was staring at the ground.

"Well...then..." she suddenly looked up at him with a grin on her face. "I'll make sure you two are together!"

"Wait...what?"

"You two are obviously perfect for each other. You knew each other as children, and I'm going to help you steal her heart."

"You're being too loud Suzuki-san," he whispered, trying to get her to shut up. There was no stopping her though.

"If I can't have you then you can only be with Ran," she continued. "You're soul mates...and didn't I tell you to call me Sonoko-san?"

"Sonoko-san please. I don't-"

"Don't lie to me! You're obviously head-over-heels in love with her so I'm going to call my plan...Operation: Head-Over-Heels." _What the hell is wrong with her?_

"What are you guys doing here?" Ran suddenly interrupted as she came down the stairs. "You usually meet me on the route to school Sonoko. Is something up?" Sonoko winked at Shinichi before turning to her friend.

"I just got ready earlier today," she replied. "I ran into Shinichi-kun so we decided to wait for you."

"Oh." Ran looked over at Shinichi, but he looked away before her eyes could find his. "We should be heading to school then." Ran started walking ahead of them, and Sonoko nudged Shinichi with her elbow.

"This is perfect," she whispered as they too began to walk. "You can come every morning and get to know each other until you meet me half-way to school."

"Sonoko-san really...I just-"

"Shush. We need to catch up to her or she'll get suspicious of us."

"Kudou-kun." Ran called over her shoulder. Sonoko and Shinichi walked alongside her, and Ran kept talking. "I almost forgot to tell you. I told my parents about your okaa-san and they both really want to meet you. Apparently your okaa-san and my parents all went to high school together. My okaa-san says she's free this afternoon and she'll drop by the apartment so you can just walk home with me...That is...if you're OK with that..." He looked over at her, unaware that Sonoko was observing his every move so she could tell him everything he was doing wrong.

"It's no problem," he said. "I'll be by myself anyways." Ran smiled at him and nodded, and Sonoko winked at him. _Seriously, what is wrong with her?_

Soon enough the three of them found themselves sitting in their first class, and once again Shinichi felt Ran's eyes on him as he almost fell asleep multiple times. She probably assumed he was bored again, which he was, but he was also exhausted from a lack of sleep. He kept stealing quick glances at her from across the room, silently blaming her for his insomnia the night before. What he didn't want to admit to himself was how much he wanted to continue thinking about her; how much he almost craved the insomnia just so the image of her face would stay in his mind. He wondered if she felt anything similar towards him, but he couldn't bring himself to ask.

He glanced at her again, his attention suddenly drawn to the note she was reading. She quickly folded the note and scribbled a response on another piece of paper. Then she lazily stretched and dropped the folded up paper onto the desk of the boy sitting behind her. The boy was tall and looked like he played sports. He probably could have almost any girl he wanted. He smiled as he read Ran's note, but Shinichi noticed that Ran did not share his enthusiasm. _She doesn't look happy...what did he say to her?_

"Kudou-kun," their teacher suddenly called out, drawing his eyes immediately to the front of the room. "Perhaps you can tell me the answer to this equation since you seem to have so much time to stare out the window. _At least he doesn't know what I was really looking at..._

"Sorry, Sensei. The answer is 4." The teacher stared at him in awe for a moment. Shinichi had barely glanced at the problem on the board. He nervously cleared his throat.

"That is correct," he said. Then he turned back to the board and continued on with the class. Shinichi felt eyes on him, and when he turned to look he found Ran watching him with a faraway look in her eyes. She quickly looked away though, her cheeks flushing red, and Shinichi forced himself to not look at her anymore until the bell rang for lunch.

He had gone outside on his own again, but he wasn't surprised when Sonoko and Ran sat down on the ground beside him. "Why do you sit outside?" Sonoko complained. "It's so hot." She began fanning herself with a folder she had pulled from her bag. Shinichi didn't answer her question. He just shrugged at Ran. Then he took out the same worn book he had been reading the day before.

"You must have read that book many times," Ran remarked. "It's practically falling apart." Shinichi turned the book around in his hands and ran his fingers down the bent spine.

"Yeah. I've had it since I was a little kid," he answered.

"What book is it?" Sonoko asked, not even looking as she continued to fan herself.

"The Sign of Four...by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle..."

"You mean the Sherlock Holmes novel?" Ran asked.

"You've read it?

"Well...no, but I've heard if it." She gently held out her hand and he handed her the book. He observed her as she took great care to open the cover slowly, as if it were made of glass. Her fingers delicately flipped each page, and Shinichi couldn't help but memorize every single page that she touched. She closed the book and handed it back to him with a smile. Then she turned to Sonoko. "Did you see that note I got in class?"

"Oh yeah," Sonoko exclaimed as she put away her folder. "I meant to ask you about that. He's not exactly bad looking, so if he asked you out I say you should give it a try." Shinichi kept quiet, pretending to be engrossed in his book as he listened.

"Well, he did. He wants to go to a movie tomorrow night."

"Well what did you tell him?"

"I told him I'd go. It can't hurt, right? Besides, I've heard from other girls in our class that he's a pretty nice guy." Shinichi felt his fingers involuntarily gripping the book tighter. _What if she decides she likes this guy? What's if he turns out to be a jerk? What if-_ "What do you think, Kudou-kun?" He looked up at her in confusion.

"What do you mean?"

"About me going out with this guy. Did you hear anything we just said?" He nodded. He'd definitely heard. "Well since you're my friend now, I want to know what you think," she added when he still didn't answer her question. Shinichi discretely bit the inside of his cheek. The word "friend" had stung, but he was sure she didn't mean anything by it. She was too genuine to try to make him jealous on purpose. _I shouldn't be jealous though...I need to get a grip. I just officially met her yesterday._

"Just don't let him take you anywhere dark and devoid of other people," he advised. Ran laughed.

"That what I thought you'd say," she said. "You sound like my otou-san." Then Shinichi saw Sonoko wince. The word "otou-san" hurt even worse than "friend." He knew she wasn't trying to upset him though. He could see it in her eyes. The bell rang again to signal the end of lunch, and they hurried to class.

At the end of the day, Sonoko left them at the front gate of the school. "I'd love to see your okaa-san Ran, but I've got something to do," she lied, earning an eye-roll from Shinichi. _She'll probably follow us._ "Bye Shinichi-kun!" She called out as she ran off in the opposite direction from where they were going. Then they too, began to walk. They were silent at first, but Ran eventually thought of something they could talk about.

"So...Conan Doyle, huh?" she started. Shinichi laughed a little.

"Yeah. He's my favorite author. The book I was reading today is my favorite one."

"What's so great about it?" He thought about it for a moment. There were tons of things he could tell her that were great about it, but he didn't want to reveal the plot since she hadn't read it.

"I don't want to reveal the plot," he answered truthfully. "If I told you everything that was great about it, I'd have to tell you the whole story." Ran was about to say something as they turned the corner on her street, but a voice called out to interrupt her.

"There you are, Ran," her mother called. "I thought you'd be back later, but I guess I was wrong."

"Hi Okaa-san," Ran greeted. "Have you gone up to see Otou-san yet?" Her mother scoffed.

"I came here because of you, I didn't come here to see that old drunk." Ran shook her head and sighed.

"This is Kudou Shinichi," she said, trying to change the subject. Shinichi nodded at Ran's mother, and her face softened.

"I remember you. You look just like your otou-san," she said. "I'm Kizaki Eri. Your okaa-san and I have known each other for years." She quickly urged the two teens up the stairs, declaring that they should go and see if "that old drunk" was awake. They found him smoking at his desk and reading what looked like a case file, but Shinichi realized the man must have heard them outside and picked up the folder because the objects in the folder didn't look disturbed in any way as he flipped through them. "Pretending to read case files now, are we?" Eri commented as she set her purse down on the coffee table, voicing Shinichi's thoughts. Ran's father almost fell out his chair, but he quickly stood up and straightened his tie.

"I'll have you know that the great detective Mouri Kogorou has received a new case from the police," Kogorou told his wife. The woman placed her hands on her hips and shot him a sour look.

"I see. Excuse me 'Mr. Great Detective.'" Ran seemed panic-stricken as she quickly pulled Shinichi off to the side while her parents bickered.

"I'm sorry," she murmured in embarrassment. "They're always like this. They've been separated for a long time and-"

"It's OK, Mouri-san," he replied. He tried to keep a gentle expression on his face, and that made Ran stay calm. She nodded to him and disappeared into the kitchen, explaining that she was going to make some tea. He almost followed her, but then he spotted the case file Ran's father had been reading on his desk. He stole a glance at Ran's parents, but they were so caught up in their petty arguing that they seemed to have forgotten the teens were even in the apartment. _It won't hurt if I just take a peek at it..._

Shinichi stood in front of the desk, and pulled the still open file across the tabletop. He felt his hands shaking with anticipation. He hadn't solved a case in over a month, and he spread all the pictures and notes from the crime scene quickly so he could glance over them all. A few minutes later, he grinned to himself, and grabbed a pen and some paper laying on the desk. _I don't the police here yet, so I think I'll just let this old man take credit for now..._ He scribbled out his deductions in a hurry, and just as he had closed the folder and turned back around he heard his name.

"I'm sorry about this Kudou-kun," Eri said. "This one can be very stubborn when he wants to." Kogorou grunted in annoyance at his wife. Then he too turned to Shinichi.

"So your Yuki-chan's son, huh?" he said. "How long will you all be in the country _this_ time." Shinichi recalled that his parents had returned to Tokyo several times to visit friends and take care of business, but it was the first time he had ever returned for more than a day or two. Usually he just stayed with the professor, so he never got to meet anyone while his parents, or mainly his father, did their work.

"Well...the thing is..." he stuttered, trying to choose his words carefully. "They're not exactly here now." Eri and Kogorou exchanged an odd look. It was the most peaceful gesture they had made towards each other since Eri's arrival.

"What do you mean?" Eri asked him. "Surely you're not living in that giant house by yourself."

"Uh...no...They're just...um..." Shinichi glanced down at his watch. "Actually, Kaa-san will be expecting me home by now so I really should go." He backed up towards the door just as Ran came out the kitchen. "It was nice to meet you," he added before quickly heading out the door. Ran saw him going out though, and followed him down the stairs.

"Wait a minute," she called out as she caught up. His response to her was to hold out his book.

"Here," he said quietly before she could ask him why he was leaving so soon. "You really should read it. It's pretty great." She accepted the book in silence as he pushed it into her hands, and walked away. "I'll see you tomorrow!" he called over his shoulder as he got further down the street. Ran watched him go, wondering what it was that fascinated her so much about him. She shook her head to clear it, and quickly headed back upstairs to scold her parents for fighting. She found them both watching Shinichi walk down the street from the window though, wearing matching looks of concern. Eri quickly turned to her daughter.

"Are his parents home right now?" Ran shook her head in a sort of confusion. _Did he lie to Okaa-san? _

"His okaa-san was leaving yesterday to go to the airport, and she told him goodbye as if she wasn't coming back for a while..." Eri shook her head and picked up her purse, muttering under her breath.

"Go change out of your school clothes, Ran," she said. "You and I are going to di-"

"Holy shit!" Kogorou suddenly exclaimed, drawing his family's attention to the open case file on his desk. "That damn kid figured it out." He held up a piece of paper that was covered in writing, and glanced back and forth between it and the file.

"What do you mean?" Ran asked.

"What I think he means that he may have some competition in the future," Eri replied coolly. She gently pushed Ran towards the door. "Keep in mind Kogorou that the boy is the son of Kudou Yusaku, and you know better than anyone how many cases he's solved." Then she closed the door, and Ran hurried upstairs to change her clothes. She placed Shinichi's book safely on her desk, and let her hand brush over the front cover in wonder. _Maybe this will help me understand you... _Ran smiled as she got dressed, and felt the familiar giddiness of the many crushes she had experienced in her life wash over her. It felt new and refreshing this time though, and that made her even more happy. She was enchanted and captivated by the image of Shinichi's intelligent blue eyes in her mind, and she didn't want the feeling to ever end.

**Wow. This is going to be longer than I thought. I just keep thinking up ways to make this longer somehow. I literally had to force myself to end this part here because it was already so long. I hope you liked it. I'm thinking the next thing I post will probably be the next installment of this short story. Thanks for reading. **


	7. Someone Different: Part 3

**Here it is. The next installment. I received a review mentioning the ongoing story I mentioned before. I'm beginning to think I will upload that story separately just to combat confusion. But my updates won't be extremely frequent for that one as I will be writing more stories like this one. It's almost summer though so I'm about to have a lot more time on my hands...we'll see how that goes. **

_Someone Different: Part III_

Shinichi glared daggers at the boy whose name he did not know from across the classroom. He couldn't help himself. He was jealous and he knew it, but he let himself brood on the feeling for a while because he knew it would eventually spur him into action. He had decided that he would tell Ran how he felt the day after she went out with the other guy, regardless of whether or not she liked him. He just had to get his feelings off his chest. He glanced impatiently at the clock on the wall, then back down at the work he was supposed to be finishing. He continued to answer questions in his notebook as he mentally berated himself. _You idiot. She barely knows you. She's probably talked to that guy often, and that's why she's agreeing to go out with him...You shouldn't even be feeling this way. You just met her! You're going to ruin your chances by speaking too soon._

He glanced back over towards Ran as she sat hunched over her notebook. He wondered what it was about her that he admired so much. She was beautiful, but that barely skimmed the surface of his thoughts. There was something else; something more he couldn't put into words; something different. _I have to tell her._

Little did Shinichi know that Ran had glanced up from her own work to look over at him again. She observed him working furiously on his paper, and smiled to herself. _He looks so cute all focused like that..._ Quickly, she shook her head and put her eyes back on her paper. _Focus Ran. You've only known the guy for two days. I mean...you knew him as a kid, but he doesn't remember that and neither do you. He'll think I'm weird if I say that I really like him..._

She found herself gazing over at him again with a smile on her face, wondering once more why she found him so interesting. He did look handsome, and his sharp features matched his perceptive, icy gaze. She knew there was something more than looks though; something more she couldn't put into words; something different. _You've got to tell him Mouri Ran, or some other girl will get his attention first. _

Just then, the bell that signaled the end of the day rang, and Ran had to shake away her thoughts of Shinichi. She had a date with Renzo, who was not a bad guy and not at all bad looking, but she had only agreed to go out with him because she always agreed to go out with the better boys in her classes and didn't want to treat him unfairly by declining. _It's just one date. I'll tell Renzo-kun I'm not interested when we get back to school._

"Daydreaming about your date tonight?" Sonoko teased, snapping Ran out of her thoughts. She hurriedly packed her stuff up, but not before catching Shinichi glaring at Renzo. _Is he...jealous? He couldn't be. There's no way._ "Earth to Ran!" her friend called, waving her hand in front of her eyes. "Did you hear what I just said? I said Shinichi-kun and I are going to go study for the next test at the library while you're on your date." Ran nodded, but was more focused on gaging Shinichi's reaction to her best friend's statement. He instantly turned to her in protest and confusion, but quickly turned back away at the look on Sonoko's face. Ran wished she could've seen her expression.

A sudden thought came to her as she witnessed Sonoko practically dragging Shinichi out of the school. _What if...what if he likes Sonoko? What if because they're both rich they decide to date each other and hang out with other rich kids and leave me alone and-_ Ran forced herself to stop thinking and walked straight home. She left a note for her dad, informing him of the leftovers in the fridge he could eat when he got home that night. She got ready early, and sat down on her bed with a sigh. She still had three hours to kill before Renzo arrived, and she found her gaze wandering over to the book Shinichi had lent her. She picked it up carefully, blushing as she thought about how privileged she was to have been entrusted with it. Then she opened the book and began to read.

It took Renzo calling her name from the floor below for her to finally put the book down. She was almost to the end, and had been so engrossed in the story that she had forgotten time was passing. She quickly marked her place with a piece of paper and raced downstairs, where Renzo told her he had already met her father and that they should be going so they wouldn't be late for their movie.

They talked and laughed as they walked, reminiscing on who had done something stupid in school during the week, and discussing which teachers were the hardest. Ran found her thoughts constantly wandering though, and even after the movie was over and Renzo was walking her home, she still couldn't give him her complete attention. They stopped walking at a busy intersection, waiting for the pedestrian light to change for them when Renzo finally faced her with a serious look in his eyes.

"Who are you thinking about, Mouri-san?" he asked.

"What do you mean?" The light changed, but they remained where they were.

"I'm just getting the feeling that even though you're here with me you're thinking about someone else."

"Sorry. I just..." Ran sighed. _Should I really tell Renzo the truth?_ "You see...the truth is..."

"You really like that new guy, don't you?" Renzo finished for her. "I've seen you staring at him in class a lot." Ran stared at him in utter disbelief and embarrassment. _Was I really that obvious?_ Before she could raise a word of protest though, Renzo held up his hand to stop her. "It's fine," he said. "I understand. I'm just glad _you_ actually like someone instead of just everyone else liking you."

"I'm sorry," Ran mumbled. Renzo laughed gently at her.

"I'll live. Besides, that girl in our math class just asked me to be her date to some family event next week...I still had a good time." Ran smiled at him and nodded, grateful for his understanding.

"The light's changed," Ran said as she glanced up at the light again. We should cross." Renzo nodded and began to walk, but Ran didn't follow him into the street because her purse got snagged on the light pole. By the time she freed herself the light had changed again, ad Renzo was already across the street. "I'll cross during the next one!" she called across to her concerned date. He nodded to let her know he had heard her.

Ran waited a minute or so, then stepped into the street as the light signaled it was safe to cross. About halfway she heard the sound of screeching tires and she could see the car headlights swiftly approaching her in her peripheral vision. Just as the car was about to collide with her she felt arms around her. She didn't feel the impact of the car because of how tight the arms held her, but she heard the crushing of glass and metal and felt the force that threw them to the ground. The arms released her as they hit the concrete, and Ran heard the person roll a few feet away while she lay still.

Dazed, she heard what sounded like shouts, and she only made out the word "police" before her dizziness and a ringing sound in her ears overwhelmed her. She opened her eyes and tensed at the pain she suddenly felt in her right shoulder, and promptly closed them again after glimpsing the blood and metal on the ground. Is that my blood? Darkness closed in on her senses, and she gave in because it took away her pain. She couldn't help but think of Shinichi again before she lost consciousness, and her last thought consisted of her wondering how he would react to her getting hit by a car.

**Bet you didn't see that coming, did you? Hehe. (I am aware this is shorter than my other two parts, but that's OK. Please don't freak out.) So... I tried to put in some jealous Shinichi because you informed me in the prompt that that is what you wanted. The final installment of this story should be up tomorrow. I'm thinking I might post a quick little story up as well. Thanks for reading.**


	8. Someone Different: Part 4

**Ok. Here is the last part of this short story. It's later than I thought, but only by a couple of days. Thanks for this prompt. I really enjoyed writing this. It was interesting how I just kept thinking up different little ideas as I wrote, and I really liked it. Thanks again for this prompt shiren al. **

_Someone Different: Part IV_

Ran reached up and rubbed her forehead with a groan. She had a dull headache that throbbed every few seconds, and she became aware of a similar throbbing in her shoulder. She opened her eyes slowly to find herself in a darkened hospital room, and she glanced around in confusion as she tried to recall what had happened to get her there. An image of lights and the sound of crunching metal flashed across her mind, and she clenched her eyes shut again to push it away. She wanted to remember what had happened, but at the same time she would rather remain ignorant. She opened her eyes again with a sigh, and heard movement to her right.

"Ran?" her mother's voice asked as she leaned forward in her chair. Eri reached over and touched her daughter's face, a gesture only reserved for when Ran was sick. "How do you feel?" she asked quietly.

"OK...I guess," Ran responded. "Why is it so dark in here?" Her mother stood up and walked over to the window, which Ran finally noticed had light seeping in from behind the curtains.

"They closed the curtains once the sun came up so the light wouldn't bother you. Do you want me to open them?" Ran nodded, and her mother pulled back the curtains and sat back down next to her as their eyes adjusted to the light.

"Where's Otou-san?" Ran's mother bit her lip uncomfortably, and she placed her hand on top of her daughter's.

"He should be back soon," she said reassuringly. Ran looked into her eyes, trying to read her expression. Her mother's face revealed nothing but concern for her though. The feeling of strong arms wrapping around her suddenly came to mind, and she remembered being shielded from the car that had been crossing at the wrong time. _But who...Renzo-kun?_ "Ran?" The teen met Eri's gaze, not realizing she had tensed up again at the memory.

"How long do I have to stay here?"

"Well you have a concussion, but we were told it wasn't too severe. Also your shoulder was dislocated. The doctor thinks that happened when you hit the ground. You only have to stay for observation a day or two, but they don't want you to go back to school for an additional day." Ran sighed in annoyance. She didn't want to miss too much class time. _Sonoko is not exactly the best note-taker. Maybe I can ask Kudou-kun... _"Do you remember what happened Ran?" her mother asked hesitantly. _Why does she seem so nervous?_

"I know there was a car crossing at the wrong time...and someone...someone..."

"The doctor said if you hadn't been protected from the impact things could've been a lot worse for you." They were both quiet for a moment, but when Ran tried to ask her mother the question pressing her mind, the door opened.

"Ran!" Sonoko cried loudly from the doorway, rushing in to greet her. "I'm so glad you're awake. We were really worried about you." Eri smiled and stood to leave, claiming she was going to get some coffee.

"Who's we?" Ran asked, her heart starting to beat a little faster. _Did she bring Kudou-kun? Was he worried about me?_

"Hey Mouri-san," a new voice said at the door. She glanced up at Renzo as he entered the room, trying not to look disappointed. _Maybe Sonoko didn't tell him what happened...Wait a minute. Renzo-kun is fine...He couldn't have been the one...then who? _

"If it wasn't you, then who was it..." Sonoko and Renzo gave Ran a strange look, but Renzo seemed to get what she was saying first.

"I wish I had been faster," he said. "I wasn't paying close enough attention to the road to see the car coming from where I was standing." Renzo clenched his fist. "That idiot was checking his mobile phone and wasn't paying attention to the traffic light when he hit you."

"It's OK. It wasn't your fault." Ran reached over and put her hand on his. She smiled gently at him, and he sighed quietly.

"So...you don't know who actually protected you?" Sonoko asked, the same hesitation in her voice as Eri. Ran rolled her eyes and pulled herself into a sitting position, ignoring the slight wave of dizziness that followed.

"I've been trying to ask, but both you and my okaa-san seem to not want to answer," she stated with annoyance. Her look quickly changed from annoyed to worried though. "Wait. The person didn't die or anything?"

"No, no. Of course not. He's somewhere on the floor above us." Sonoko waved her hands as she spoke to emphasize her words. She sat down and rested her chin on her hand. "It was extremely romantic and brave if you ask me..." _Romantic? Why would she- Oh no. It couldn't be..._

"Sonoko."

"I mean he just rushed out there so fast. I've never seen anything like it...outside of the movies of course. People usually aren't that selfless."

"Sonoko!" Her friend stopped talking abruptly, and Renzo shifted nervously on his feet. "Is Kudou-kun all right or not?" she asked bluntly. Sonoko bit her lip.

"I don't know. They wouldn't let us go see him because his parents haven't gotten here yet. Some stupidity about 'parental consent' or something like that. They only let in some old guy who lives next door to him or something...I mean, can they even..." Ran had stopped listening. Her mind was too busy absorbing the fact that Shinichi had risked his life for her. _He could've died... _

"Wait. What were you two doing there anyway?" she demanded. "It was too late for the library to be open and you said that was where you were going."

"We did go," Sonoko defended. Ran glared at her though, making her shoulders sag in defeat. "OK. We went there to plan how we were going to follow you," she admitted. "It was his idea though." Renzo folded his arms, and Sonoko was faced with two pairs of eyes narrowing at her. She spoke fast and quiet as she answered their matching looks. "So maybe it was less than five percent his idea...but he still went with me..."

"Start from the beginning, Sonoko," Ran said, her expression softening a little.

"It's kind of a long story."

"As you can see I've got plenty of time."

"OK. OK..."

_Sonoko hadn't even let Shinichi go home before dragging him to the library. He had no idea what she was up to, but he didn't ask until she had made him sit at a table and shoved a book in his face. "Just keep this book open on the table in case the librarian comes over." He did as he was told with a slightly confused look on his face._

_"Sonoko-san, what are we doing here?"_

_"Shhh!" She leaned across the table and lowered her voice to a whisper. "We're here to plan out how we're going to follow Ran on her date."_

_"Why would we do that?" Sonoko shook her head at him._

_"You just don't get it do you. Look. If we just happen to be there, and that guy hurts Ran's feelings, you'll be there to comfort her. It's a brilliant idea. Also...it's fun to spy on people." Shinichi pinched the bridge of his nose and groaned quietly. _

_"Sonoko-san. We can't just follow them on their date. It's creepy." Sonoko abruptly stood up._

_"Listen up!" she shouted. "I saw the look you had on your face in class today! You're obviously jealous and I'm trying to help you out!" _

_A minute later they were standing outside the library, and Shinichi turned and started to walk home. The librarian was not appreciative of Sonoko's yelling, and had asked them to leave. _

_"Come on, Shinichi-kun," Sonoko pleaded as she blocked his path. "It'll be fun. Please just come with me. We don't have to follow them into the movie theater." Shinichi seemed to consider her words for a moment, and soon sighed in defeat. _

_"Fine." Sonoko promptly hugged him, and he quickly pulled away and started walking again. Three hours later, they found themselves in the cafe below the Mouri Detective Agency, waiting for Ran and her date to appear. "There they go," Sonoko said excitedly when she spotted them. She pointed at the boy with Ran. "That's Renzo-kun. Let's start following them." The girl giggled with excitement, as if she was a child who'd just been given a piece of candy. Shinichi slowly followed her, clearly not sharing her enthusiasm. _

_After waiting around at another cafe for the movie to get out, they began to follow the two back to Ran's apartment. It was dark outside, and this made it easier to stand closer to the two waiting for the traffic light to change. Sonoko strained to hear what they were saying as Shinichi wouldn't let her get close enough to really hear what they were discussing. They kept talking through three light changes, and Sonoko gasped as she saw Ran blushing. They continued to watch as Ran finally pointed out the light. Then Renzo crossed, leaving Ran as she tried to untangle her purse. _

_"Now's your chance," Sonoko whispered, shoving Shinichi forward on the sidewalk. "That jerk left her alone." Shinichi shot her a cold glance, but the two of them moved closer to Ran anyway. She shouted across to Renzo, who nodded. Shinichi took Sonoko's arm and pulled her back a few feet._

_"We'll cross at the next light change," he whispered to her as Ran stepped out into the street. Sonoko nodded and briefly turned her head. Then she suddenly saw Shinichi rush past her. She watched in shock and horror as the car hit her two friends, and she dashed out into the street at the same time as Renzo, terrified at what she had just witnessed. _

"You pretty much know the rest," Sonoko mumbled. "The only other thing is that Renzo-kun was able to detain the driver long enough for the police to get there." Ran nodded solemnly, not meeting her friend's eyes. She was a little put out by the thought of them following her on her date, but she realized at the same time that if they hadn't there was a possibility she would be dead.

"So they really haven't told you anything yet?" Ran asked, suddenly feeling more worried than anything. Sonoko shook her head. "You don't remember anything else? I mean, did he _seem _alright after we got hit, or-"

"I don't know, OK!" Sonoko shouted as she stood up, looking a little teary and frustrated. "All I know was there was a lot of metal...and glass and...blood..." Sonoko sat down again with a much paler face than she had had a moment before. She seemed sickened by her own memory, and Ran leaned towards her and put her hand on her arm.

"I'm sorry, Sonoko," she murmured. "I wasn't thinking about how you must have felt."

"I was so scared..." The girl sniffled and Ran felt a tear drop onto her hand. "You were both so...so still and...I'm so glad you're alright." At that Sonoko dissolved into tears, and Renzo shifted uncomfortably again. He didn't like to be around girls when they cried, but he wouldn't admit to that in front of two of them. Fortunately, he didn't have to stand awkwardly for too long, as Eri returned and beckoned both him and Sonoko to the hallway.

"Ran needs her rest," she said, which Ran found strange since her mother hadn't made them leave sooner. As soon as they were gone, Eri opened the door wider so Kogorou could come in.

His tense demeanor seemed to melt away as he saw that his daughter was awake, and he kissed her forehead before sitting in the chair beside her. "That guy's lucky the police got him first," he declared. "Otherwise, he would have had to deal with Mouri Kogorou." Her father folded his arms purposely, causing her mother to roll her eyes. Ran smiled at both her parents antics. In their own way they were still a couple, and she hoped it would at least stay that way even if they never moved back in together. "That kid finally woke up," her father added nonchalantly. "That old neighbor of his said he was asking if he could see you...Would you like to-"

"Yes! Please let me go see him." Ran tried to hide her blush as her parents gave her surprised looks. She cleared her throat before she met their gazes again. "I mean...I want to thank him." They exchanged glances. Then Kogorou shrugged and went out into the hall to get her a wheelchair. He helped her into the chair when he got back, and her heart beat faster as they got into the elevator. By the time they were approaching the older man who stood waiting for them in the hallway, Ran thought she would explode, or pass out, or both.

"You must be Ran-kun," the man said with a gentle smile. Ran thought the name sounded a little strange, but the man's kind manner had her smiling back at him. "I'm Professor Agasa. I met you once when you were very little, but you probably don't remember." Ran shook her head.

"Sorry, I must have been too young."

"That's alright." The professor turned to the door behind him, and placed his hand on the handle. "Shinichi-kun's been in and out for a while, so if he falls asleep just let me know." Ran's pulse skyrocketed for reasons she could never explain, and she nodded dumbly as Agasa opened the door and brought her into the room. When Ran first spotted Shinichi on the bed, she thought he was asleep, but he opened his eyes and looked over at her as the professor left the room.

They both sat in silence for a minute, taking in the images of each other. Ran was relieved that she couldn't see too many bandages on him, but that made her worry more about internal injuries. She shifted her gaze to her lap, and only glanced up periodically to look at the bandage on his temple, or to follow his darting gaze as he looked her over. Finally, he cleared his throat. "Hey," he murmured. He sounded tired, and Ran clenched her fists in her lap.

"Hey," she mumbled back. She looked up at him again, and immediately lost her composure. She started to cry uncontrollably, and she tried to hide her face with her left hand, as her right was in a sling. Shinichi watched her as the tears fell between her fingers and trailed down her arm, silently cursing himself. It pained him to see her cry, especially since he knew it was because of him.

"I'm sorry," he told her, making her finally meet his eyes.

"You have nothing...to be sorry for," she sobbed. "Y-you didn't do anything wrong."

"Then why are you crying?" She took a few seconds to cry some more before she answered him.

"I don't know...I just...you..." she was lost in her tears again, and Shinichi decided he couldn't take it anymore. He reached up and pulled her hand away from her face. Then he placed his hand on her cheek and started to wipe away her tears.

"That's the trouble with girls," he said as he let his hand rest against her cheek. "They're always crying, but they never know the reason." That got her to laugh tearfully, and she began to compose herself.

"I'm sorry for being such a girl then," she joked back. Her hand strayed up to her face, and she placed it over his hand so he couldn't move away. Ran closed her eyes. His skin was cold, but she liked the feeling. She liked how the coldness of his hand matched the ice in his blue eyes. She wanted to hold his hand all the time, and she couldn't find a way to make herself let go of him no matter how awkward the situation was. He didn't seem to mind though, so she just kept holding his hand as a few more stray tears escaped her closed eyes. "Are you...OK?" Ran asked, feeling like he would think her question was really stupid. She had to know though, even though she was scared.

"Well...we both got a nasty bump on our heads..." Shinichi tried to joke. She didn't laugh though. Her grip only tightened on his hand. "I guess a few ribs are broken...and some organs may have gotten a little bruised that weren't supposed to...I'm fine though. I promise." Ran bit her lip as more tears cascaded over their hands.

"You're so stupid..." she whispered, seemingly speaking more to herself than to him. "...so stupid."

"Please don't cry anymore," he whispered. "I don't want you to cry." Then she opened her eyes, noticing that he suddenly seemed more tired again, and that he was struggling to keep his eyes open. She released his hand, missing the feeling it gave her before the coldness of his touch had even faded from her cheek.

"I'm sorry," she whispered quietly. "You should sleep if you're tired." He shook his head slowly.

"I don't want to sleep...I have to tell you something." Ran eyed him expectantly. A touch of pink had appeared on his pale cheeks, and his voice seemed more unsure than it had before. "I um...I really like you, Mouri-san...And I know it's stupid and weird because I just met you but-" Ran had no clue what came over her, but she had cut him by leaning forward and kissing him. He was too shocked to return the kiss, and when she pulled back both of their faces were burning.

"R-ran," she said quietly. "I want you to call me Ran." Shinichi blinked at her in shock, but then he gave her a crooked grin.

"You can call me Shinichi if you kiss me again." Ran returned a mischievous grin of her own and kissed him again. This time, he returned the kiss, and he had just cupped her face in his hands when his mother opened the door.

"Oh Shin-chan we got here as soon as-" she started as the two teens broke apart. Ran sat up again so fast that she felt dizzy, but the dizziness was exhilarating to her, and it took all her willpower to keep herself from smiling. Yukiko just stood in the doorway, absorbing the scene until her husband gently began to pull her back outside. "We'll come back in a few minutes son," Yusaku said, closing the door despite Yukiko's immediate protest. Ran and Shinichi exchanged a somewhat awkward look, but they both smiled.

"Well I guess...I'll see you later...Shinichi," Ran said as she rolled herself over to the door.

"See you later," Shinichi answered as the door closed behind her. "...Ran." He sunk deeper into his pillow with a sigh, relieved that she was alright and dreading how his mother would tease him for kissing Ran. He finally let his eyes drift closed again as his parents came back into the room. He didn't care what they had to say. All he could think about was how warm Ran was as he dozed off again. _I guess people are right when they say opposites attract..._

**I know what you're thinking. Sappy ending. Romance has sappy endings! It just happens. Chill. Anyway, thanks once again for this wonderful prompt. I had a lot of fun with it and I got to explore something new I had never even considered writing about. **


	9. I simply cannot tolerate swearing

**Just another funny little idea I had floating around in my brain. I hope you find it at least somewhat humorous...I'm no good at humor...**

_"I simply cannot tolerate swearing."_

Conan wandered around the room occupied by Kaitou Kid's famous task force. He sighed impatiantly as he glanced again at his watch and again at the jewel protected by the glass case. Conan scoffed. _If the inspector really thinks that he'll stop Kid by doing the same thing he always does, then he's got a screw loose. _As if Kid had read his mind, the lights suddenly went out. Conan smiled. _Punctual as usual, Kid. _

"Inspector Nakamori!" Kid's voice rang out through the room as a spotlight appeared on him. He stood on top the glass case holding the gem it had previously contained with a grin that could only be described as cheeky. "Sorry. I'd love to stay and play with you tonight, but as you know I have a very tight schedule to keep. I hope you understand." Then the thief dropped one of his infamous smoke bombs and vanished as the task force swarmed the case. The lights rose, but Conan didn't even notice them as he raced down one of the hallways to head to the roof, where he knew Kid would be. He had planned to go up ahead of time, but he had decided to watch the task force struggle for once. It was actually extremely amusing.

Suddenly, Conan felt himself yanked up into the air by his ankle, and found himself hanging upside-down in the middle of the hallway. _Crap. Should've been paying closer attention to my surroundings._ He tried to reach up and untie his ankle, but found his child-sized body lacked the strength to hold himself up long enough to do so. As he let himself hang again, glaring at the ceiling that seemed more like a floor, he released a string of curse words that would've had his mother throwing him across a room if she had heard him saying them.

"I'm sure Mouri-chan wouldn't appreciate you using that sort of language," a voice suddenly spoke up from below. Conan froze and looked down, or rather up in his position. Kaitou Kid shook his head at him in disapproval. "I never would've expected such foul-mouthedness from my dearest critic." He moved closer as the sounds of the task force's shouts echoed from the other hallways. "I should wash your mouth out with soap."

"It's your fault I got into this mess in the first place!" Conan protested, clearly not in the mood for being scolded. "You're the one who set up this trap." Kid simply shrugged and set the gem he had just stolen down on the floor a few feet away. Then he opened a nearby window and climbed onto the ledge.

"I leave the gem in your hands as it is not the one I'm looking for, but I'm afraid you'll have to find a way to get down yourself. I simply cannot tolerate swearing. Until next time, Tantei-kun." Then the illusive thief flew out the window, and into the darkness. Conan struggled a little more in frustration, only to be greeted by laughter. He turned to look, and found Kogorou, who was the source of the laughter, and Ran, who was moving toward him quickly with concern and shock in her eyes.

"Are you alright, Conan-kun?" she asked as she reached up to untie his ankle. "You haven't been hanging like this for too long, have you?"

"No, Ran-neechan," he replied with a sigh of exasperation as she helped him down. He picked up the gem off the floor and found a note attached to back of it.

"Watch your language, Tantei-kun," the note read, followed by Kid's signature doodle. _Oh you're gonna get it, Kid. I've got a soccer ball with your name on it..._

**Not exactly sure where this came from. Extremely pointless story. Just felt like uploading it. *shrugs nonchalantly* Oh well. I'll have something better up next time.**


	10. Did You Forget?

**Time for something cute and sappy. Hehe.**

_Did You Forget?_

Ran woke up in a bad mood. Ever since she had stormed into the kitchen and begun furiously cooking breakfast, both Kogorou and Conan hadn't said a word. Somehow, they both knew it would not be in their best interests to speak while Ran was in such a sour mood. Conan wasn't sure what she had to be mad about though, especially since it was her birthday. He turned to the detective sitting nearby. _I hope the old man didn't forget his own daughter's birthday...that would only end in disaster. Although his coming home totally drunk at two in the morning might have something to do with her bad mood..._ Suddenly, the man cleared his throat and stood up.

"I'll take care of the grocery shopping, Ran," he said for the first time ever. She turned to him as if to start shouting, but the anger was replaced by shock in an instant.

"W-w-what did you say?" she stammered.

"I said I'm going to take care of the groceries," her father repeated. "Where did you put the list?" Ran just stared at him for a moment. Then she dumbly handed him a small slip of paper from her pocket. Conan watched with a shocked look of his own as Mouri Kogorou walked out the door with an actual purpose. He was a man on a mission, and Conan could only hope that his intention was not to go out drinking after he got the groceries.

Conan's phone buzzed in his pocket as Ran turned back to the stove. He took it out and read the text Haibara had sent him. "Come over. I read the professor's calendar, and I have a new temporary antidote to try out that I made for today." _Today? Does she mean she made it specifically for Ran's birthday? She wouldn't do something so nice for someone else though...would she?_

"Why Ran's birthday?" he texted back. He set his phone down and it buzzed again almost immediately.

"Do I really need to answer that question?" Conan smirked.

"Have you gone soft, Haibara? If so, we need to document this historical occasion."

"Let's just say I owe her a debt of gratitude. I would have been killed if it weren't for her, and in exchange I want her to be able to have a good birthday. Understand? Now get over here before I change my mind." _Touchy aren't we, Haibara? _Conan got up and walked cautiously over to Ran, not sure whether or not her anger had completely subsided from earlier.

"Ran-neechan?" he said softly. She looked down at him, and he couldn't be sure, but he thought he saw a touch of sadness in her eyes. "Haibara wants me to come over for the day, and I might spend the night at the professor's." Ran sighed, but she smiled down at him anyway.

"Alright," she replied. "Just don't get into any trouble, OK?" Conan nodded, and smiled to himself as he dashed down the stairs with his skateboard under his arm. _She won't have to worry about that. I'll be with her the whole day. _

Ran watched him as he hurried down the street, missing his presence in the quiet and empty apartment. She sat down on one of the sofas in the detective agency and sighed again. She glanced down at her phone. _I could call Sonoko and see if she has time to go shopping...but she said she'd be busy today... _Ran picked up the phone and scrolled through her list of contacts, her finger stopping to hover over a name she hadn't called since the last case she had asked for help on. _He usually calls me first, but he hasn't in a while... _

She put the phone back down and switched on the television. She regretted letting her father get the groceries because she usually got them herself to beat the boredom of being alone on the apartment. Ran left the television on a show she had seen before, and soon enough, she had drifted off to sleep. She was startled awake by loud knocking at the door to the agency an hour later, which she found strange since it was usually unlocked during the day for clients. She got up and opened the door anyway to find someone beginning to walk back down the stairs. He turned back around to face her, and smiled at her shocked face.

"Hey Ran. Long time, no see. I thought maybe you had gone out somewhere," Shinichi said; Ran taking an extra minute of staring to absorb his words. He shifted awkwardly on his feet and held up a small bouquet. "Um...I got you some flowers..." _Damn Shinichi. Real smooth. Now she probably thinks you're an idiot._ Ran seemed to snap out of her daze as she took the flowers from him though, and she hid her face behind them as she led him inside so he wouldn't see her blush.

He watched her place the flowers in a vase on the coffee table, and she sat down on the sofa when she was finished. "So...are you staying long?" she asked. Shinichi bit his lip. He hated having to tell her she would have to wait longer, but at least it wasn't another lie.

"Sorry, Ran. I'm only back in town for today. I wanted to know if we could maybe go somewhere though." Ran stood up and walked over to the front door again.

"Alright then," she said, slipping on her shoes. "Where did you have in mind?"

"Well...I was going to let you decide..." Ran gave him a weird look.

"_You_ want _me_ to decide where we're going to go?" Shinichi shrugged, but he nodded to her. That was how she knew he wasn't kidding. She thought for a moment, and then smiled. "We could go back to Tropical Land," she suggested quietly. "I wanted to go back again with you, but we never did." She didn't notice Shinichi had curled his hand into a fist because he hid it behind his back. He agreed quickly before he could convince himself to do otherwise. Then they left the agency together and headed to the theme park for the second time.

Although Shinichi was nervous, he still had fun with Ran at Tropical Land. He had walked past the alley where he had met Gin and Vodka multiple times as they went to different parts of the park. Each time got a little easier though, and each time he passed he felt as if a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. He was still alive. He had survived it, and the memory of what had happened in the alleyway was just that: a memory. He had more fun with Ran than he had had the first time. He filed away each moment with her in his memory, and every time she laughed he felt as if his heart would burst.

Eventually, they were standing on one of the park's observation decks, overlooking the city outside Tropical Land. Ran leaned on the railing with an ice cream cone, and Shinichi stood beside her with one of his own. "So what's all this for?" Ran asked, turning to meet his eyes. "Why'd you come back today of all the days?" Shinichi furrowed his brow in confusion. _What's wrong with today? Today's her birthday...both Haibara and I figured that it would be a nice birthday present for me to spend the day with her._

"Ran, you _do_ know what today is, right?" Ran rolled her eyes at him and faced the view again.

"Let me guess, some anniversary of some Holmes story," she answered, a hint of boredom and irritation in her voice. Shinichi dug his phone out of his pocket and checked the date. _It's definitely the right day..._

"Ran. Did you really forget?"

"Forget what?" Shinichi set a small rectangular box on top of the railing, and Ran looked up at him like he was crazy.

"Open it. It's for you." She handed him her ice cream cone and picked up the box. Then she pulled off the ribbon and opened the lid to find a necklace. It was simple, but the tiny colored gem in it was a light, blue color that glittered in the light. Shinichi observed Ran looking oddly at the necklace as she lifted it from the box. "What's wrong? I thought you liked that color."

"Oh no. I do, I love it," she answered. "It's just that I don't understand what all this is for." Shinichi sighed and then laughed. "What's so funny?"

"You're not turning into me, are you?"

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"Ran. Today is your birthday." Ran just stared at him for a moment; the same way she had stared at her father.

"Wait. It is?"

"Yeah," Shinichi told her, trying to contain his laughter as he handed back her ice cream. She picked up the box with her necklace, and seemed to be contemplating something as they started to walk away. "What is it?" She shook her head and laughed a little.

"Now I know why my otou-san offered to go to the store for me." They exchanged a look and both of them laughed. "You know," Ran said as she took out her necklace again. "I love this necklace, and I'm glad you came for my birthday. You could come any day though, and I'd be just as happy: gift or no gift." She leaned over and kissed his cheek, and smirked to herself as his face turned red. "Now if only we could get you to remember when it's _your_ birthday..."

**Just a little cute fluffy story for your enjoyment. Remember, if you have a request or prompt, let me know...thanks for reading. I won't be updating this as often though because I finally started posting my ongoing story, ****_Broken Family_****. Don't leave though. There's more to come. I'm not abandoning this.**


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